The Power of Chaos
by PeridotYoshi
Summary: When Sonic and his friends are entrapped in plush depictions of themselves in a different dimension, it is up to a humble Sonic Fan Girl to find them and get them back to their world, before it is too late.
1. Chaos Emerald

Disclaimer: I made this over a year or so ago. I was just getting better at writing stories at the time, but I hadn't exactly perfected my style of writing. So, this FanFiction is not my best work, but I don't think it's all that bad. At the time, it was great, but I have since improved in my writing, so this little relic of the past is pretty much obsolete, by now. However, I thought that it was too good to let die in the depths of my computer, so I thought that I would upload what I had, and the sequel (Which I never finished, I'm sad to say). This is a rather short story, and since I was pretty bad at writing most of the characters in this, Sonic and his friends won't be exactly… canonical. Sorry. And I apologize in advance for the fluff between Shadow and I… I was a fangirl in the past, I'll admit it.

* * *

><p>Electric guitar blared out of the speakers of my TV, the colors flashed to life upon the once dark screen. I settled into position, clutching my white GameCube controller tighter in my hands. A familiar face dashed by the camera appearing to be moving quite quickly, almost at the speed of sound. Another face appeared, this one black as opposed to blue. I recognized him almost immediately.<p>

"Shadow," The word escaped my mouth before I had time to stop it. I continued watching the screen, observing that Shadow and Sonic appeared to be racing through the streets of Station Square as if to fight one another. Those hedgehogs, always at each others' throats. I listened to the rock music, which now had vocals, singing 'Live and Learn! Live and Learn!' And then it was all over in a flash. The cutscene was now just a title screen, with the words 'Sonic Adventure 2 Battle' just above 'Press Start'. I jumped into action, entering story mode and beginning the final story. I had spent forever getting this far, and nothing could spoil this.

"Laura! Time to go!" I heard my dad's voice from downstairs. Of course, the only thing that could ruin the game was my dad. He knew how much this meant to me. Then again, I did ask him to help me find a Chaos Emerald today, so I guess it was my fault in the first place. I tapped the pause button and grabbed the TV remote, hitting the power button. The TV clicked once and went dark.

"Now!" My dad's voice echoed through the house.

"Coming!" I shouted back at him. I practically threw down the remote. I snatched my Sonic plush from its spot on the window sill, and rushed out the door and down the hall. I threw on my coat and boots and headed out into the melting snow. As my dad headed into the garage to back the car out, I released Sonic from his plush prison.

"What took ya so long?" he asked the second he was out.

"Sorry. Final story," I said. He rolled his eyes.

"Again? Seriously?"

I shrugged. My dad's car rolled out of the garage.

"I'm outta here," Sonic said before rushing off. I shrugged, climbing into the car. I didn't have to worry about him too much. Besides, I still had his plush, and I could recall him at any time. I stared out the window as we drove, wishing I could run as fast as Sonic. I tried to run that speed in 2nd Grade, but I tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and fell onto my face. I ended up gashing my knees open and being sent to the nurse's office for bandages. That was the last day I ever tried to race Sonic.

Kids have imaginary friends for a small fraction of their life. I had Sonic, but he wasn't just any 'imaginary friend'. I didn't just imagine him into existence. Not many know what happened, so I shall attempt to re-tell what Sonic told me.

As the story goes, Dr. Eggman called upon some kind of monster to make a method of destroying Sonic the Hedgehog for good. The end result: a plush animal trapped between dimensions. The plush would be a kind of prison for them. Unfortunately, the plan went wrong and this monster tried to entrap everyone in Sonic's world in these stuffed toys. There was no way to know which plush had someone trapped inside. I was only five, and I had just heard of Sonic the Hedgehog. I don't know why I was so obsessed with him, but I was. So, my parents took me to a store called Too Cool, where Japanese dolls and erasers were imported and sold for a lot of money. They had a fresh shipment of Sonic plush for me to choose from. I looked at each one. I finally settled for one that I almost heard speak to me. We bought it and I took it home.

When I got home, I was hearing someone talking. I couldn't figure out what was being said, but I could figure out who it was. I knew the voice too well from my recent discovery: Sonic X, the TV show. Why I was hearing Sonic's voice was a mystery. Was it on downstairs and my parents didn't tell me? They always told me when it was on, so it couldn't have been that. I looked over at my Sonic plush, which was sitting on my bed. I walked over and lifted him up.

"Are you the one who's talking?" I asked him out loud, my five-year old mind believing anything possible. I squeezed the plush in my hands, making the toy appear to glow. With a large flash, I dropped it on the floor. As I scrambled to pick it up, I froze as I caught a glimpse of a familiar red shoe. I looked up to see none other than Sonic the Hedgehog staring down at me. "Y-y-you're..." I stuttered, not believing my eyes. He gave me a thumbs up, and leapt through the window. I mean it literally when I say he leapt through the window. He passed through the window right in front of my eyes, like if he were just some sort of ghost. Staring out the window, I spotted him running down the street and around the corner.

"You okay?" my dad asked, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Yeah, just thinking," I replied.

"'Bout what?" He continued.

"Uh, I was just about to start the final story in Sonic Adventure 2."

"That game again?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"The rapping."

"Not in the final story. The music is a mix of techno and rock."

"But there's still rap in it."

"For a small fraction of the game."

"The fact it's even in there makes me uncomfortable."

"Everything I play makes you uncomfortable."

I stared out the window as my dad started on another of his long rants about why rap is inappropriate, and I spotted Sonic jogging alongside the car. He gave me a thumbs up and dashed away.

Typical Sonic. Can't stay still for two seconds. I felt Sonic's plush prison begin to pulse in my hands. The Chaos Emerald was near.

My dad pulled the car into the Michael's parking lot. I dashed inside with my dad following much slower than me. I looked at the glass diamonds on the shelf, mesmerized by their beauty, but I had a mission. Which one was the Chaos Emerald? I studied each one closely. Sonic walked up beside me.

"That one," he said, pointing to one of the many pink colored diamonds. I lifted it off the shelf. It glowed and shimmered in my hands.

"Hand it over!" a male voice shouted. I knew who it was immediately.

"Do I hear a talking egg?" Sonic laughed.

"Very funny! You'll pay for that!" Eggman snapped.

Sonic motioned for me to leave. I heeded his advice and walked as quick as I could to the checkout. My dad didn't sense anything wrong, in fact, he hardly took notice to one of the shelves falling down. A normal person would suspect ghosts. My dad didn't even notice. How could no one notice what was going on?

Nevertheless, we bought the Chaos Emerald, and returned to the car.

1 down, 6 to go!


	2. Final Story

The second I was home, I rushed back to my room and flipped on the TV. The game was still paused, as I'd left it. I hit the A button, and the music blared as everything returned back to normal. I was playing as Tails first. I blew through the Tails part, having minor trouble with the shield G.U.N. robots and the artificial Chaos'. I only had three lives from the hellish Final Rush and Final Chase levels, so I had to make them last.

Eggman was next. I had little trouble with the actual level, and easily breezed through. Time for Rouge to fly in. I had a little trouble with the artificial Chaos' and I ended up loosing a life. Two were left. As far as I could tell, I was fine. Knuckles leapt into action, and I was so glad I'd gotten the Air Necklace. Infinite time underwater. Just the way I liked it. The part where I had to stop time to get past a mechanical cube was rather tedious, but otherwise, easy level.

A loading screen appeared before Sonic's section. That wasn't supposed to be there!

"What is this? Sonic '06?" I shouted at the screen. I moved the control stick all over the place. What was going on? "Oh, yeah," I said to myself, just remembering what was going on. "Sonic's still out of his plush." I snatched my Sonic plush from its spot and recalled Sonic from wherever he was. The loading screen immediately vanished and returned to the game.

I dropped the doll and grabbed the controller.

"OW!" Sonic's voice shouted through the speakers of my TV. "What was that all about?"

"I don't have time to just set the doll down," I groaned. "You move too fast for that!"

I controlled Sonic through the many hallways of the ARK, and for the first time, I actually lost control of him for a bit.

"What's going on?" I shouted, watching the control stick dart back and forth with Sonic's in-game movements. "Are you doing this?"

"I think the question is why haven't I done this before," Sonic laughed

I couldn't control what was going on anymore. Sonic was doing all the work, and he didn't loose a single life doing so. He finished the stage in a flash, and I was almost done with the game. Two last boss battles and it was over.

I watched the cutscene, starting with a status report:

ARK: Abandoned lab

Colony impact: 19 minutes, 50 seconds

Then the actual cutscene played, with Amy complaining about being left behind by the others. She stopped at the sight of a certain black hedgehog. With nothing better to do, Amy entered the room. She begged Shadow to help, but he refused, saying everything was going to plan, and there was no reason for him to help them, and that even if he did, there was no way to stop the ARK on its collision course. Amy says how some people may be selfish, but they're still good, and saving them is the right thing to do. With Amy begging Shadow to help, Shadow regains the last of his memory, remembering that it was not revenge Maria wanted, but for Shadow to make people happy.

Shadow agrees to help, shedding a single tear.

The screen went dark, giving another status report:

ARK: In the core

Colony impact: 15 minutes, 27 seconds

Sonic and Knuckles appeared on the screen.

"What's that? It looks just like the shine of the Master Emerald." Knuckles said, as he was supposed to.

"They probably designed the core like the shrine to harness the- What egghead wrote this script?!" Sonic said. Wait, Sonic wasn't supposed to say that! He was supposed to say 'They probably designed the core like the shrine to harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds'! He wan't supposed to question the script! What was Sonic thinking? That could've frozen the game!

Without needing any further persuasion, Sonic ran towards the duplicate of the Master Emerald shrine, and the Chaos Emeralds, with Knuckles following close behind. Several images of Gerald Robotnik flew towards them(I have no idea why. Don't ask.), with Gerald's words jumbled in an echoey mess. A flash and a roar sounding similar to Perfect Chaos' alerted me of the second to last boss. The Biolizard.

Shadow stepped forward from behind the two and prepared to fight. The screen went black as it loaded the boss.

The song, Supporting Me began to play as the monstrous prototype leaned its head back and roared. I was in control of Shadow now, and I even began to sing along with the music. "I believe in my future, farewell to the shadow. It was my place to live, but now I need your hand." I beat the boss with relative ease.

The next cutscene commenced without a status report. Knuckles used the Master Emerald to deactivate the Chaos Emeralds, and everything seemed to return to normal. However, the Biolizard said otherwise, using Chaos Control to attach itself to the front of the ARK. As Eggman said, it was determined to keep the ARK on its collision course.

Sonic and Shadow took matters into their own hands, using the six Chaos Emeralds to transform into Super Sonic and Super Shadow... Wait, six? Where was the pink one? Why wasn't it in the game? Did Sonic Team goof?

My Chaos Emerald started glowing like the others. The Cutscene was on an infinite loop at this point, like the game was waiting.

"Laura! The Chaos Emerald!" Sonic shouted to me from the cutscene itself. I held the Chaos Emerald up to the TV. It levitated out of my hand and right through the screen of the TV. The pink Chaos Emerald was now in its proper place in the cutscene, and Sonic and Shadow became Super form.

The Finalhazard boss started with Sonic, who was still controlling himself. No, seriously, he was flying on his own, attacking on his own, dodging pink spheres on his own, even dodging the super fast lasers the thing was shooting. When Sonic successfully landed a blow, I took control of Shadow, I blew through the Finalhazard boss, and the final cutscene commenced. Sonic and Shadow put the ARK back where it belonged, and Shadow fell to earth, uttering the words, "To whoever may be listening, I will be waiting for you in this plush prison." Was this game broken? I can understand Sonic saying things he shouldn't have, but Shadow? He shouldn't be able to say that!

Nevertheless, the cutscene continued playing as usual, with Shadow falling to his 'death', marking the 'end' of Shadow the Hedgehog. I knew my mission. I had to find Shadow! I had Sonic and Knuckles, some guy on YouTube had Eggman, and the rest were _supposedly_ sealed in their specified plush. I had to get my hands on Shadow. The credits played as usual, but that last shot of Shadow in front of the earth was different. It was a picture of Shadow with a hand in the air, as if waving. He was looking directly at me, as well. I looked at my Sonic plush. When I released Sonic, I asked him about the picture, which was still on the screen. Sonic shrugged.

I hit the A button, taking me to the title screen. I clicked the power button on my Wii, and turned off the TV. Turning back to Sonic, he held out my Chaos Emerald, as well as one of Shadow's Inhibitor Rings. Sonic didn't give the ring to Rouge in the cutscene like he was supposed to. He saved it for me.

"Thanks," I said, examining the ring in my hand.


	3. Remembering Maria

Ooooookay! This is when things get fluffy and Hurt/Comfort comes into play. There's not enough genre space for me to put Hurt/Comfort, and I honestly don't think that I would, even if I could. Hurt/Comfort is only in a few chapters, and I will put a warning in at the beginning of the chapter if it will contain such. Also, Shadow is a little different in this FanFic, because of… reasons that I have no idea. Again, I made this over a year ago, so I kinda wanted to make a fluffy Shadow X Myself FanFic, but then it didn't turn out that way, and honestly, we turned out to be best friends rather than lovers. I can't complain, though. Shadow was Maria's in the first place, and the whole romance between Sonic and Elise in Sonic '06 was not needed, so I tried to dial everything down as much as I could. I'm just warning you now, this chapter is fluffy… as is most of the upcoming chapters… Again, I'm sorry.

* * *

><p>I took measurements of the Inhibitor Ring before bed. Its diameter was three inches, so it was rather small. For many weeks afterwards, I stopped by the Japanese merchandise store, Too Cool, hoping to find Shadow. Unfortunately, every time I dropped by to see, There were no Shadow plush in stock.<p>

After having dropped by many times, I asked the person at the cash register when they were getting more Shadow plush. She responded that they would be getting more in about two weeks from then. With all of the spare time, my dad and I managed to collect the other six chaos emeralds in this order: Cyan, green, blue, red, white, and yellow. I carried the red one with me around the house, and the others were sealed safely in a nightstand drawer.

Finally, the two weeks were over, and we returned to Too Cool. We were just walking around a corner when I spotted a black hedgehog plush hanging off of a shelf by a yellow string. I took off running towards the store as fast as I could. I yanked the plush from its perch and held it victoriously above my head. They had one!

In fact, the store was full of the things! I placed the one I was holding back onto its shelf and looked at the others, making the excuse "I want to find one in the best quality possible." I looked at every single plush until I found one in immaculate condition, except for a single missing inhibitor ring. I'd found him.

I brought him over to the register, where the cashier rung him up. They also made a comment about the missing inhibitor ring. "It's fine," I said. My dad paid for the plush and I carried it home victoriously.

The second I had returned home with Shadow, I ran to my room and grabbed Sonic and Knuckles from their places.

"I finally got him!" I whispered excitedly, showing them the doll.

"I wouldn't release him just yet," Knuckles warned me. "He could run off and get into trouble."

"He's been in this plush for a while," I responded. "Besides, after all he's been through, he deserves _some_ freedom."

I released Shadow from his doll. He stood with his arms crossed and stared around the room several seconds, before leaping out the window. He didn't say a word, or even acknowledge me.

An hour or so later, I found out that my new game, Sonic Adventure DX, had finally arrived, so I sat down to play it. The opening cutscene was amazing. Heavily edited, but amazing. It started in the city. Everything was normal, before water started flooding the streets. Roads cracked down the center and broke open to more water. Angel Island, floating home of Knuckles the Echidna fell into the sea. More and more waves crashed over the tops of skyscrapers and then a large gelatinous monster smashed its head through one of the buildings. Then, came the blue hedgehog, running and jumping through the mess being created, the Egg-Carrier rising up from the ground and flying over the city.

I couldn't help but rock out to the music, singing "Can't hold on much longer! (But I will never let go!) I know it's a one-way track! (Tell me now how long this will last!) I'm not gonna think this way! (Nor, will I count on others!) Close my eyes and feel it burn! (Now I see what I gotta do!) Open your heart, it's gonna be alright, yeah! Open your heart!"

Sonic now stood before the monster, as it opened its green reptilian eyes. The screen faded to black. When the title screen popped up, I realized I'd forgotten about Shadow. I switched off the TV and grabbed my Shadow plush from off my bed.

I recalled Shadow.

"What was that all about?" He asked seconds after returning to the toy. "Who are you?"

"Umm, my name is Laura," I introduced myself. "I recently finished playing Sonic Adventure 2, and you said you'd be waiting for me."

"Really? When was that?" He asked, seeming surprised. I thought for a moment.

"I think it was a few weeks ago, but if you're referring to the timeline, it'd be before you lost your memory."

"Uhhh, okay?" I set Shadow back on my bed and walked over to my desk, where I found Shadow's Inhibitor Ring. I held it in front of Shadow's face.

"Sonic brought this back just afterwards."

"So, that's where that went." I slipped the ring on Shadow's wrist. It magically shrunk down to fit.

"Wow," I stared at the ring. Shadow was pretty much silent for the rest of the night. That is until I decided to sleep with him in bed, like if he were some sort of teddy bear.

"What are you doing?" he groaned.

"This is how Sonic and Knuckles spent their first nights here, and I'm not going to change it just because you're moody," I informed him. _Granted, I was only 5 when I found them_, I thought to myself.

"Fine, but it'd better only be for tonight."

The next day, nothing really happened. I played on my computer for most of the day. When I was settling down to watch some YouTube, I heard Shadow's voice.

"So, now that I'm here, what do you want with me?

"Huh?"

"Why did you bring me here?"

"You said you were waiting for me. Did you forget?"

"Not sure..."

"I thought you got all of your memories back in Shadow the Hedgehog."

"Shadow... the Hedgehog?"

"Yes, the game."

"I hadn't heard of that one."

"I can pull up the cutscenes on YouTube, if you want me to."

I pulled up YouTube on my iPad and did a search for 'Shadow the Hedgehog cutscenes'. Several results popped up and I selected the one on the top. We watched all of the cutscenes, with Shadow scoffing at most of them. The only exceptions were the ones about Maria. When the cutscenes began to delve deep into the death of Maria, I felt a drop of water on my hand; a tear. This is where I paused the video and used one of the blankets on my bed to wipe Shadow's eyes. I was surprised he could even move, as well. The plush can only move if they're closely bonded to the person who released them. Not even Sonic could move whilst in plush form, and I'd known him since I was five. Shadow didn't even seem to like me all that much. Perhaps he liked me more than he let on, just like Molly from Sonic X. When we continued watching, Shadow was constantly muttering something about Maria. I also felt several more tears fall onto my hand.

When the last cutscene had finished, and the video was over, Shadow hugged my arm for reassurance. I stroked one of his ears gently.

"I'm guessing you didn't let go of your past," I looked at him.

"Since remembering, I've tried to block it out," Shadow's voice was shaky, like he was going to cry again.

"What about that Black Doom guy?"

"Never happened."

"Sonic Team _completely made up_ this game?"

"I would've remembered having done all this. Also," he said after a moment of thought. "I'm _right_-handed. Not left-handed like whoever _this_ faker is."

"What about Maria?"

"That was true. Maria was shot, just barely managing to set me free before she died... Maria..."

Shadow looked away from me. I turned his head back towards me to see Shadow's face damp with tears. He looked miserable.

"Oh, Shadow..." I squeezed Shadow in my arms, trying to hold back my own tears. Never in all my years would I have thought that Shadow would cry. This strong, silent, not to mention dark hedgehog that I knew from the games was sitting in my arms and crying about his long-lost friend, Maria. I knew about the tear in Sonic Adventure 2, but this was different. Shadow the Hedgehog was a lie... I wondered what other Sonic games were lies. I asked Shadow about Sonic '06.

"That was made shortly after those two were entrapped in those plush," he said, looking at Sonic and Knuckles. "Sonic had no witty comebacks because it wasn't him. It was another Sonic that Sonic Team created. In fact, It was Sonic and Knuckles' aggression that led them to being trapped first. Eggman tried to stop it, leading to his imprisonment. The rest of us are still fighting to this day. I was only captured recently. I don't know how the others are doing." I took note of what was said here, as Shadow said everybody else were fine, whereas Sonic said that everybody else were _probably_ entrapped in plush just like him.

"But Shadow the Hedgehog came out before Sonic '06, and before Sonic and Knuckles were trapped."

"That game was a lie that they came up with to expand more on the backstory I never tell anyone. It never really happened. Except..."

"Maria's death really happened."

"Maria was my only friend. Then they sent G.U.N. soldiers to take her away from me," Shadow growled. I remembered hearing him say this line in Sonic X.

"The government is crazy in both of our worlds. There's no doubt about that."

At bedtime, Shadow insisted on sleeping with me.

That night, Shadow began shivering violently as he slept, while muttering something about Maria. I shook him awake.

"Maria?" he asked the second he was awake.

"Just me. You having a nightmare?"

Shadow looked away shyly. I hugged him.

"It's okay, I have them, too from time to time."

Shadow leaned his head against my neck and went back to sleep.


	4. Dreaming of Friends

I finally started playing Sonic Adventure DX. It had been just over a day since I booted up the game on my Wii, and I still hadn't played it. So, I thought I'd finally sit down and play it. Shadow even curled up in my lap while I played.

I started Sonic's story, which was confusing if you didn't know what you were doing. Luckily, Tikal was always around, and she always gave hints as to what I was supposed to do. In the action stages near the end of Sonic's story, I was only beginning to have trouble with the difficulty of a level. Whenever I lost a certain amount of lives, Shadow would snatch the controller away from me and complete a level for me.

"I didn't know you were good at video games," I commented.

"You live life in a game, you pick up a few things," He said proudly, taking a shortcut that I didn't even know existed.

"I didn't know that was there!"

"Sonic and I have raced each other through this place several times. I always use this shortcut to get ahead! His reactions are priceless!"

"Shadow!" Sonic shouted in-game.

"What? It's true!" Shadow chuckled.

"Guys! Enough!" I broke up the quarrel. "Sonic, saying what you're not supposed to could end in a frozen game!"

Sonic shrugged and continued running.

When we'd finally finished the final level(Where Shadow and I took turns between deaths), The final boss of Sonic's story appeared: the Egg Viper. I died so many times, and this being the final boss of Sonic's story, I didn't want Shadow's help. I got several Game Overs, I had so much trouble with this last boss, but I refused to give up. I had fought harder bosses in Super Mario Galaxy! This should've been nothing.

Finally, after what seemed like hundreds of lost lives, I finally defeated the Egg Viper!

Sonic's story was finally over. I could start Tails' story.

Tails' levels were all about racing Sonic through a certain level. While the concept was odd, I rather enjoyed racing Sonic down the hill on a snowboard. I felt so overpowered with the flying ability, being able to speed past platforms in Windy Valley, like they weren't even there. When I raced Dr. Eggman, it wasn't just friendly competition anymore. It was a race to save Station Square. I also found it humorous to hear Eggman say "Tails! Wait for me!" Whenever I passed him.

We played that game all day, finishing most of the stories, save Big the Cat and E-102 Gamma. I tried playing as Big, but no matter what I did, I couldn't catch Froggy, so Shadow and I turned off the game for a while.

Instead, we watched a little YouTube, I caught up on everything on my subscribed list, and Shadow even watched with me. After catching up, I decided to watch a little Sonic Adventure 2, which was my favorite game at that time.

Shadow tried to talk me out of it, as Sonic Adventure 2 was not only his debut, but it would also flash back to Shadow's memories of Maria. Shadow didn't want any reminders.

It took a while to persuade him to watch, but I managed to in the end.

Shadow clung to my arm the entire time, squeezing his eyes shut every time Maria popped up on the screen. I would then stroke one of his ears gently to calm him down. Shadow even appeared to have some level of guilt for wanting revenge on the people on earth.

When the final cutscene with Shadow falling to his 'death' had ended, I let loose a single tear. It landed on Shadow's head. He looked up at me curiously.

"Sorry, I can't help it," I said, wiping my eye. He wrapped his arms around my neck.

That night, I fell asleep with Shadow hugging my arm. I then found myself dreaming about a completely destroyed city, the remaining ruins still on fire. Ash and smoke lingered in the air, while dying embers flew all around. I gigantic muted-green colored dragon perched upon the tallest skyscraper, roaring and shooting flame in all directions.

"Look out!" A familiar two-tailed fox pulled me out of the way of an incoming fireball.

"Tails?" I stared at this fox in wonder.

"No time, just get to that building over there," Tails pointed to the ruins of one of buildings before flying off. I ran to the nearly-destroyed structure as fast as I could. Upon reaching it, I peered into the darkness, spotting several faces I knew: Amy Rose, Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, Rouge the Bat, Cream the Rabbit, Silver the Hedgehog, and Big the Cat, as well as several faces that I didn't know. As soon as they saw me, Amy Rose came running over to drag me into the darkness.

"I haven't seen you around here," she whispered. "Where'd you come from?"

"Uh," I tried to re-assemble my thoughts in a way they'd understand. "Well... I sorta dreamt my way here, I guess. Like usual, my timing couldn't have been worse."

"I hear you," Amy groaned. "Sonic's not even here, so all we have is _Tails_ protecting us," she said Tails' name as if there were nothing worse than having Tails as the hero as opposed to Sonic.

"Sonic! That's right!" I exclaimed, just remembering.

"You know Sonic?" Amy looked surprised.

"He, Knuckles and Shadow are trapped in stuffed animals in my world," I informed her. "I'm pretty sure Eggman is, too."

"Is Sonic okay?" Amy stared at me with tears in her eyes.

"He's fine, and so are the others. That reminds me, has anyone else been turned into stuffed animals?"

"Not so far, but I fear the worst," she sighed. We were interrupted by an annoying voice in the distance.

"Hey! Guys!" Charmy the Bee came buzzing over. "I got some- Who's this?" Charmy looked at me.

"That doesn't matter, right now, what's going on?" I asked him.

"Why would you need to know? Maybe you're a spy sent to gather information!"

"Back off Charmy, or I'll squash you with my hammer!" Amy shouted at him. "Now, what's so important?" Charmy gave me a questioning look before continuing.

"Tails has been captured by Morelth!"

"Who's Morelth?" I asked. Amy glared at me.

"You're just told that Tails has been captured, and you're wondering who Morelth is?" she shouted.

"Just a simple question," I shrugged.

"Morelth is a reptilian beast like the Chaos monster we fought before. It gains power from the Chaos Emeralds and with each one it absorbs, it evolves into a stronger version of itself. Once it has them all, it becomes a dragon creature with destructive capabilities even greater than the Eclipse Cannon."

"Let me guess," I said, thinking hard. "It has them all."

"How'd you guess?"

"The emeralds have all been teleported into my world. I've collected them all."

"Ah," Rouge perked her ears up.

"Don't get any ideas, Rouge," I warned, at the same time feeling proud that I knew these characters so well.

"I didn't say anything!" She acted like she wasn't even interested. I rolled my eyes.

"So, how long has it been since Sonic was captured for you guys?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Amy replied. "I think it's been about eight months."

"Time sure does move slow here, 'cuz it's been over eight years in my world."

"Back on the subject of Tails, what happened, Charmy?"

"Tails was flying around, then Morelth was all like, ROOOOOOOAAAR, and then it attacked Tails, and then it grabbed Tails and then it flew away!"

"Alright," Amy sighed. "We need a new patroller. Shadow's gone, and Tails is gone, who's next?"

"I'll go," Espio the Chameleon stood up. "It can't catch what it can't see."

"When I get back to my world, I'll see if I can find Tails," I assured them.

"But, how are you even going to get back to your world?"

"Not sure," I admitted, realizing the room around me was growing dim. "But I think I'm about to find out!"

I awoke in my bed. It was early morning, and Shadow was sleeping right next to me. There was nothing better to do than watch some YouTube.

I leaned over the best I could without waking Shadow up and grabbed my iPad from the side of my bed. I slipped on my headphones. Shadow groaned.

"More YouTube already?" he yawned quietly, opening one of his eyes slightly.

"You can go back to sleep, if you want," I whispered.

"Nah, if you're up, I'm up. Did you have any weird dreams last night?"

"Well, I dreamt I was in your world, is that strange?"

"Lemme guess, Tails was captured by that awful dragon?"

"Morelth? Yeah, were we in one another's dreams?"

"There may be more going on than we realize, and I fear you may now be in danger."

* * *

><p>Aaaaaaaaand setting up the story! Yep, more fluff, angst, energy, and hedgehogs in the next chapter XD<p> 


	5. Action Replay

This chapter, I bicker with Shadow over Action Replay (Which he somehow knows about?), I finish SADX _the chapter after starting it in the first place_ (My writing stunk when I was writing this DX), and I try to explain a few things, which all-in-all made everything more confusing. Overall, _GREAT_ chapter!

* * *

><p>Later that day, we were back in Sonic Adventure. I finally figured out how to catch Froggy, and I was so glad when Big's story was over. However, when I found Tails in the Adventure Field, He didn't say his normal quote at first. Instead he said "Please... Help... Me..."<p>

When I saw this text flash on screen, I looked at Shadow, who was starting to doze off.

"Shadow, look!" I shook him awake. "I'm pretty sure that's _not_ what he's supposed to say!"

"You said I did something similar a few weeks before you found me. I assume that was the time in which Morelth was trying to transform me into, well, a plush. With both Sonic and Knuckles being able to make their own comments in-game, anyone who is in the middle of transformation can plead for help, but they won't remember it when the transformation is over."

"But how'd we dream about it?"

Shadow shrugged. "Anything could trigger it. A Chaos Emerald reaction or even a certain importance the world itself."

"Importance?"

"Like a prophet, but less religious."

"Sounds legit," I laughed.

When I returned my focus to the screen, Tails had somehow disappeared, with nothing but the dialogue box remaining. I hit the A button. The box vanished and returned to normal gameplay. Everything else from then on seemed normal.

After finishing Big's story, I started E-102 Gamma's story. The early levels were so simple, I joked that I could've done them in my sleep. The later levels, however were so hard, Shadow even had trouble with them. He was even refusing to believe that he was bad at it, insisting that he was just not used to the gameplay style.

Finding that we'd had about seventeen game-overs, I shut off the game.

"What're you doing? I could've finished it!" Shadow shouted.

"We can't finish this one. _You're _even having trouble!" I shouted back at him. I tried to calm down. "I have a solution."

I walked over to a CD drawer by my computer and removed a disk sleeve containing a purple and white disk with the words: Action Replay For Gamecube. I held the disk sleeve before Shadow.

"No, please no," Shadow whispered. "How long have you had that?"

"I think I got it a few years ago, having had so much trouble with Sonic Adventure 2," I stated, studying the disk in my hands.

"How could- You can't be-" Shadow stuttered. I ejected the Sonic Adventure DX game from my Wii, and inserted the Action Replay. I clicked on the box on the Wii menu with the Gamecube symbol, and started up the cheating device.

A menu appeared, showing off every single Gamecube game in existence. I scrolled down until I stopped at Sonic Adventure DX.

"You're not serious," Shadow groaned as I selected the cheat for 'Infinite Rings' and hit the start button. I swapped the two disks and the game started up as usual, with the opening scene and title screen. Shadow face-palmed.

"I can't believe you," he sighed.

"Oh, no!" I said sarcastically. "I've used a cheating device from year 2001! Quick! Call a cop!"

Shadow mumbled several words under his breath.

We easily blasted through the last few levels and boss battles for E-102 Gamma. When we'd finished the story, I turned off the game to reset the cheats. I placed the Action Replay into its sleeve and hid it in my CD drawer once more.

When I turned the Wii on once more, I heard Shadow mutter something.

"What?" I asked as I selected the GameCube window from the Wii menu.

"I can't believe you just did that," he repeated louder so I could hear.

"What? Cheat?" I asked, sitting down beside him with controller in hand.

"Why do you even have that thing?" He raised his voice. I shrugged.

"I think it was because I wanted a certain Chao for my Chao Garden. As it turns out, I got the wrong Action Replay. I should've gotten the Action Replay Max, but I didn't know," I admitted, selecting my save file.

"I'm surprised you don't have that one as well," he laughed before sharpening his gaze on me. "Do you?"

"I could never find it," I sighed. "It's always so expensive and hard-to-find. Besides, this technology is more than ten years old at this point. I doubt I could find it even on eBay."

I smiled, noticing a new character I hadn't seen before in the Character-select. I scrolled over to the dot that said 'Super Sonic'. Instead of the usual character's picture, there was a question mark. I hit the A button, and the screen faded to black.

"And so, it begins," I grinned, prepared for the final story.

Eggman was cursing Sonic for getting in his way, as he floated through the jungle in his egg-mobile. He was stopped when he spotted a puddle on the ground

"Chaos!" he shouted as the screen faded to black. A clap of thunder rang through the speakers. Knuckles stood by the now-restored Master Emerald, wondering why Angel Island was falling again. Suddenly, he spotted Eggman, crashed at the edge of the cliff. He ran over, asking Eggman what happened. As Eggman struggled to explain everything, a puddle appeared behind the red echidna, the screen fading to black once more, with yet another clap of thunder. Then, Sonic was sitting under a tree in mystic ruins, thinking about going on another vacation. That is, until a two tailed fox started running towards him. Tails commanded Sonic to follow him, as Angel Island was falling again. Soon, we were running for Angel Island, finding that Chaos had stolen the Chaos Emeralds there. Eggman ran off, screaming that Chaos was not going to get away with it. Suddenly, a familiar ball of light brought Sonic back to the past, where the echidnas were demanding the Chaos emeralds, with the echidna, Tikal, with a few Chao friends, refusing to let them anywhere near the shrine of the Master Emerald. The echidnas attacked the Chao and girl, determined to get the Emeralds. Chaos, however wasn't in the mood to hand over the Emeralds to the ones who just tried to kill his Chao friends. Chaos grabbed the Emeralds, transforming into the liquid-y beast from the intro scene from earlier. They all disappeared in a flash. Sonic ran over to see if Tikal was okay, and she was shocked to discover what had happened. She begged the Master Emerald to stop Chaos, and Sonic came to his senses back in real life.

"I was on a snooze cruise, I guess," he laughed. Tails informed Sonic of the last Emerald on the Tornado 2, so we were off to the jungle to find it.

Unfortunately, Chaos beat us to it.

"No! He's got the last Emerald!" Sonic shouted. Suddenly, we were transported to Station square, where Sonic stood before Perfect Chaos.

"Laura, get the Emeralds!" he shouted. I threw down my controller, trying to watch and gather the Chaos Emeralds from their drawer at the same time.

"What's going on?" Shadow looked over at me, a look of confusion on his face. I ignored him, knowing I didn't have time to stop and explain. I stared at the gems in my hands. 5, 6- Where was the seventh?! I scanned my room, trying to find the red one. I ran over to the side of my bed, Sonic's voice echoing in my head. I snatched the red Emerald and ran back over to the TV, stopping as the emeralds floated up and out of my hands, one-by-one. They circled over my head once, then flew into the screen, where Sonic transformed into Super Sonic. I ran back over to my chair, grabbing my controller.

"Seriously, what's going on?!" Shadow demanded.

"The Emeralds' power isn't inherently in the game, so, I have to send the Emeralds directly into the game," I explained.

"But, then how'd Chaos transform?"

"Sonic is actually in the game, able to make changes at any time. Chaos is just a part of it all," I said in a rush, knowing of the battle ahead. Sonic, like in Sonic Adventure 2, had complete control, much to my surprise. Every dodge was perfect, every attack, flawless. Shadow's eyes were glued to the screen.

"This isn't you playing, is it?" he asked.

"Nope, this is all Sonic's doing," I smiled as I spoke.

"Can't this result in a game freeze?"

"Actually, I think that's only in cutscenes. Gameplay is a free-for-all, so long as he doesn't talk."

The music changed as Chaos was defeated and came back for round two. All hurricane attacks were much larger and more accurate than before, though Sonic had no problem. Soon, the boss was defeated, and the final cutscene played. I, however, had no time to sit and watch, as my mother shouted up the stairs that dinner was ready. I left Shadow in my room to watch the final cutscene, planning to watch it on YouTube later.

When I returned, Shadow was holding the seven Emeralds in his hands.

"These came for you," Shadow grunted, struggling to hold them all. I quickly ran over and he dropped them all in my arms. "You would not believe how heavy those things are. Why don't they float like they do in my world?"

"Because," I laughed, dumping them into my drawer. "My world isn't your world, now is it?"

"True, but still," he groaned. I rolled my eyes.

We sat down in my bed with my iPad to watch some more YouTube, and watch the cutscene I had missed.


	6. Discussion

Sigh, another long period of time, another chapter. This time, we're throwing verbal punches and jeers as some much-needed plot development takes place… and a lame cliche prophecy takes form, and a god-monster's rampage is described, because we didn't have enough of that in all of the Sonic games! Seriously, Chaos from Sonic Adventure, Metal Sonic from Sonic Heroes, Black Doom from Shadow the Hedgehog, Solaris from Sonic '06, Dark Gaia from Sonic Unleashed… I'm surprised how far the series has come, based off of the same lame gimmick… that 13-year-old me had no problem with emulating...

* * *

><p>That night, I had another weird dream. I was staring through what appeared to be a small window at an aqua blue cat, similar in design to Blaze the Cat. She didn't only differ in the coloring, but she didn't have the ponytail tied up on top of her head, replaced by bangs limp over one of her eyes. She didn't have the red spot on her forehead, and her dress was similar in design to Amy's original outfit, except the shirt was lavender and the skirt was light pink, and was drooping towards the ground, giving it more of a dress look rather than a tutu look. The cuffs of her gloves were bound with silver rings, similar to Shadow's Inhibitor Rings, and perhaps even functioned the same way. Her shoes were similar in design to those of Sonic's, but they were solid red and didn't have the golden buckle on the side and thy had more of a heel on them. Her eyes were hazel, like my own.<p>

I stared at the cat, curiously with the cat returning my curious stare.

"Who are you?" I asked, with the cat mimicking my mouth movements. I suddenly realized that this wasn't just another of Sonic's friends. I reached out towards the glass to test my theory. Just as I reached my hand toward hers, I knew I was right. This glass was a mirror, and the cat staring at me with my own hazel eyes was me. As I stared down at my attire and blue fur, I caught a glimpse of something blue dashing behind me. I turned around to find that I had a tail. I couldn't help but reach out and bat at the thing. I looked back at my reflection in the mirror, wondering what this all meant.

I suddenly found myself awake in the darkness of my own room. I stared at my previously-gloved hands to find that they were human once more.

"Are you okay?" Shadow asked.

"Uh, yeah, weird dream," I cast aside my weird dream for the moment. "You're already awake?"

"I can't sleep with these strange dreams creeping up on us, now can I?" he chuckled. "What'd you dream this time?"

"I was an aqua-colored anthropomorphic cat," I shook my head, "It was really strange."

Later that day, I released everyone from their plushies(I say everyone, and it was just Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles. Three's a crowd, am I right?) and I told them about my dream.

"You guys have any ideas what it meant?" I asked. Sonic shrugged, as usual.

"Well, I might know something," Knuckles said with a chuckle. We all looked at him. "I said I _might_ know something. I didn't say I _did_ know!"

"Well, if we don't know, and you happen to know, SPILL!" I spat at him.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Knuckles held up his hands, defensively. "I had strange dreams back on Angel Island. I later found out that the Master Emerald can show anyone something before it happens, or even teleport people to other worlds in their dreams."

"But, why me?" I asked.

"And don't forget, I'm having them, too," Shadow butted in.

"I can't figure that one out," Knuckles shrugged. "The Master Emerald wants you for something, but I'm not sure what. If I had the Master Emerald, I might be able to figure that out."

"Lemme guess, it's still on Angel Island," I guessed.

"I don't know anymore. That monster could've carried it off for all I know," Knuckles growled.

"How _are_ we gonna get back?" Sonic asked. "It's not like we can say 'Alakazam' and we'd be back!"

"First things first, we have to find Tails," I said, trying to sound serious, despite Sonic's joke. "My dad said the next time we're going to the mall is in... about three weeks." Knuckled face-palmed, Shadow heaved a sigh, and Sonic collapsed in shock. I didn't blame Sonic for his over-the-top reaction. After all, Tails had been his friend for a long time, and being told that his friend had been 'plushified' couldn't be reassuring. Besides, his reactions were usually over-the-top.

"Sonic?" I looked at the blue hedgehog. "You okay?"

"Poor Tails," Sonic muttered, refusing to make eye contact. He rolled over onto his side, curling into a ball on the floor. I looked at the others.

"What's with Sonic?" I asked the other two.

"The process in which we are turned to simple toys isn't exactly painless," Shadow explained. "I'd tell you, but with your dreams on the fritz, I'd just cause nightmares."

"Well, whatever it is, I don't think it could get much worse than me finding myself transformed into a cat," I laughed, smiling courageously.

"Feel free to stop me at any time," Shadow began describing what happened to Sonic. "When the creature began its attack on Station Square, Sonic was ready as ever to fight it off, just as he had did many threats, but Chaos, Biolizard, nor Metal Sonic could ever match up to this beast.

"This monstrosity was a muted green-colored, bipedal dragon creature, its head crowned with glimmering horns and its back like a razor blade, with sharp spines trailing down its back and tail. With every Chaos Emerald it consumed, it became larger and stronger, and its spines and horns would sharpen. Its wings would eventually grow to be roughly the size of killer whales when it had all the emeralds. For the moment, however, it had no emeralds, but it was still gargantuan.

"Sonic charged at Morelth as fast as his feet could carry him, only getting faster with every step taken. What Sonic hadn't taken into account, however, were the shimmering glass half-cylinders on the neck of the creature, one of which opened upon Sonic's approaching. Three large nerve-endings-like ropes shot out of the tube, wrapping themselves around the blue hedgehog, stopping him on a dime. One of the nerve-ropes embedded itself in the top of Sonic's skull, branching off into other nerves that ran deep into the hedgehog's head.

(In real life, I winced at the description of what had happened.)

"Finally, the nerves began to retract, pulling Sonic towards the gigantic dragon. Sonic was sealed safely inside one of the glass cylinders, while the dragon flew off to its lair. Knuckles chased after it and Sonic, and neither one of them were seen since.

"I was then put in charge of patrolling the area, making sure everyone was safe, but I did wonder what had become of the two of them."

When Shadow had finished his story, Sonic began to shudder at the memories that he seemed to have forgotten in the eight years he'd been with me.

"I'd hoped I would never remember that," Sonic muttered.

"No wonder they never made this into a game," I commented jokingly, despite what had just been said.

"Imagine the feeling of a million needles seeping slowly into your head," Sonic added, without acknowledging my comment. Sonic and I shuddered at the thought. Sonic held his hand against his head as if just remembering the pain made Sonic's mind think it was really feeling that pain again.

"You're not imagining it, either, Sonic," Shadow stared at the blue hedgehog, his expression unreadable. "In our world, that is still being done to us. It just isn't as painful here." Sonic looked like he was going to throw up.

"Wait, you can still feel it?" I asked, worried that Shadow may actually be in mild pain even as he spoke.

"Hardly," Shadow shrugged. "But it's still irritating."

"I'm... sorry," I said, unsure exactly what to say.

"Don't be," Shadow gave me a reassuring smile.

"Hey, Knuckles," Sonic whispered to Knuckles. "Have you ever seen Shadow smile?" Knuckles shrugged. Shadow sharpened his glance on Sonic.

"Don't get used to it," Shadow glared at him.

"What're you gonna do?" Sonic smirked. "...faker?"

Shadow charged at Sonic, full force. Sonic casually stepped out of the way, sending Shadow crashing into the wall. Sonic laughed at the fallen black form. Shadow shakily got to his feet.

"Run, hedgehog," Shadow growled. Sonic leapt through the window. Shadow followed, seconds later.

"What am I gonna do with them?" I asked, shaking my head.

"Let them fight," Knuckles stared at the window the two had disappeared through. "It's their way of having fun." A smile crossed my lips as I suddenly remembered something.

"So, are you worried about Rouge?" I asked. Knuckles' cheeks reddened.

"I- Well- She- I don't- Are you messing with me?" Knuckles stuttered. I burst out laughing.

"Yeah," I laughed. "But, if you're wondering, she's still as 'batty' as ever." I started laughing again at my remembrance of Knuckles' catchphrase in Sonic X whenever Rouge was around. Knuckles glared.

"You think I care about that thieving bat?" Knuckles shouted.

"Nope," I barely managed to utter before I had another laughing fit. Knuckles sighed.

"You and Sonic can't take _anything_ seriously, can you?"

"You can't take _anything_ lightly, can you?" I asked. Knuckles snapped.

"THE MASTER EMERALD COULD BE GONE AND ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS ME NOT TAKING ANYTHING LIGHTLY?!" He ranted in my face. As if unfazed, I pushed Knuckles' face away with a hand.

"I rest my case," I said quietly. Knuckles looked away, trying to cool down.

A black hedgehog jumped through the window, carrying a limp Sonic in his arms.

"What did you do?" I groaned.

"He asked for it," Shadow smirked. I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously, Shadow. What happened?" I asked in a no-more-fooling-around voice.

"Nothing that didn't happen during the hedgehog vs hedgehog fights in Sonic Adventure 2," Shadow explained, offering the unconscious blue hedgehog to me. I sighed, lifting Sonic out of Shadow's hands and placing him in the chair in front of the TV.

"Well, it's clear we won't be playing any Sonic games for a while," I sighed, staring at the azure hedgehog, who, if it hadn't been for his bruises, looked as if to be in a peaceful sleep.


	7. Eggman Attacks

So, this is when things get horribly graphic. It was my first time experimenting with blood in my (Semi-Good) writing (I've written with blood before, but when I did, It was in a gosh-darn HORRIBLE Minecraft HerobrineXMyself FanFic). Expect angst.

* * *

><p>Shadow and I sat by the TV later that day, playing Super Mario Sunshine above all things. Shadow was out of his plush for a change, and he was staring at the screen as if nothing were more boring than Nintendo games. Sonic still lay unconscious in our chair, so we instead sat on the floor, not wanting to disturb him.<p>

Suddenly, Sonic's eyes flew open, and he was clutching his heart, gasping for breath. I paused the game immediately.

"Sonic?" I stared at the cerulean hero, his eyes now scanning the room.

"I just-" Sonic uttered.

"You just, what?" I asked Sonic, confused and concerned. Sonic stared at me, still breathing heavily. I thought I could almost hear his heart pounding.

"I was back home, everyone was there except for Knuckles, Shadow, and-" he swallowed hard "-Tails. That monster was destroying the city. I ran to stop it, but then I saw..." Sonic winced as if the mere thought of it hurt. "I saw myself, asleep in one of those half cylinders. I ran to break the thing open and free myself, but... that monster, it..." Sonic squeezed his eyes shut. "It impaled me on one of its claws," Sonic opened his eyes once more and stared down at his chest. "...through the heart." The hero shuddered at the image in his head.

I ran over and squeezed Sonic in my arms. I knew Sonic wasn't that keen on hugs, but it was the only thing I could think to do to comfort him. He started to wriggle away at first, but then just went limp in my arms. I forced myself to ignore the razor-sharp quills.

"There's- There's one more thing," Sonic said. I released him. "I saw Tails in a cylinder by mine."

Without any notice, Sonic launched himself through the window. I reached out to stop him, but stopped myself, knowing it wouldn't be any use. If Sonic wanted out, then I wasn't gonna stop him. I was about to ask Shadow about him, but Shadow just shrugged, as if he'd read my mind.

About 25 minutes later, Sonic returned through the window. He sat down beside me.

"So, what's up?" he asked.

"Nothing much, just waiting for you so we can play something besides Super Mario Sunshine," I said, not moving my gaze from the game.

"Isn't that one a black sheep in the series?" Sonic asked.

"Meh, I like it," I shrugged, saving my progress, also wondering how Sonic would even know that the game was a black sheep.

"So, faker," Sonic started.

Shadow scowled. "Call me faker one more time-"

"Since when do you like Nintendo?" Sonic continued, like he hadn't even heard Shadow.

"I don't. Laura does," Shadow said, resisting the urge to clobber the blue pile of spikes.

"Huh. For such a Sega Fan, I'm surprised these games are even allowed in here," Sonic studied the cover of Super Mario Sunshine.

"My choices in games aside," I said in a rush, trying to change subjects. "Why'd you run off, anyway?"

Sonic shrugged. "It's what I do to cool down from a nightmare. Deal with it."

"You didn't see Baldy McNosehair out there, did you?" I asked, jokingly. Sonic could hardly hold back his laughter.

"B-B-Baldy McNosehair?" he laughed. "That's a new one! I can't wait to tell-... oh..." Sonic's laughter immediately subsided, as thoughts of his best friend flashed through his mind.

"New? Hardly," I said. "That line was from Sonic Colors, I believe. When was that, 2010?"

Sonic didn't reply, instead letting his spikes droop as he thought about his kitsune friend. I looked at Shadow, unsure how to comfort my childhood hero.

I remembered back in elementary school how I was bullied to the point of not wanting to go to school. I came home every day with bruises and scrapes, and once I was all bandaged up, I ran into my room and locked the door, clutching my Sonic plush close to my heart. Sonic was always there for me when I was upset. Now the time came that Sonic was upset, and I didn't know what to do.

Shadow shrugged. I turned back to the sad blue hedgehog. I placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me, a single tear rolled down his cheek as his eyes met with mine. Sonic gave threw his arms around me.

"We all know what it's like to loose someone," I said quietly. "Be glad we still may be able to _find_ Tails."

"When did _you_ loose someone?" Sonic asked.

"All of my relatives have died over the years, including my Great-Aunt, who I was very close to," I said quietly, trying to avoid any tears that the sad memories might trigger.

"And don't forget, Maria," Shadow added.

"Be glad Tails isn't dead," I leaned my head against Sonic's. "Now can we stop lurking in the past and look to the future?"

Sonic looked up, surprised at my sudden interest in moving forward.

"I will find Tails," I assured him, smiling to show I meant it. "I leave no anthropomorphic foxes behind."

"Hey! Jokes are my thing!" Sonic chuckled.

I smiled. "_There's_ that sense of humor."

Suddenly, we were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Both hedgehogs vanished through the window in a second.

"Laura?" my dad's voice called from the open door. I stumbled to my feet.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Who are you talking to?" he asked, not moving from the doorway, or even peering in to see where I was. My father, like everyone else, couldn't see Sonic or Shadow, nor hear their voices, thus adding to the whole 'imaginary friends' thing. My mind raced, trying to think of something to say.

"I was just, um..." I started, snatching two action figures from a pile of toys not too far away. "playing with my toys."

My dad closed the door without another word. I heaved a sigh of relief. I walked over to my window and peered out, seeing the two standing around outside. I motioned for the two to come in.

"What was that all about?" Shadow asked.

"My dad must've heard me talking," I shrugged. I focused my gaze on Sonic, who was staring out the window in a battle-ready stance.

"I spotted ol' Baldy McNosehair flying by in his eggmobile," Sonic clenched his fists, seeming ready as ever to fight. "He saw me, but didn't engage in a fight, and that's not like him. I gotta find him before he starts causing more trouble!"

And with that, Sonic was outside, running down the street.

Over the next few days, I was waiting for Sonic to return. It wasn't like him to stay out too long, or get lost. Sonic's plush wasn't reacting like if Sonic was nearby, and I feared the worst may have happened.

Shadow didn't seem worried one bit. In fact, he was playing around with the red Chaos Emerald.

"Here," He finally said, offering the Emerald to me. "I'm heading off to find Sonic. Look inside the Emerald."

I obeyed, seeing an image of Shadow.

"Just in case I don't come back, you can see me through this."

I nodded, unsure if this last statement was a good or bad thing. Without another word, Shadow vanished through the window, leaving me alone, except for Knuckles, who didn't seem to like me that much.

The next day was very lonely. Sonic and Shadow went to God knows where, and my parents left to go look at a new car. I was left alone in the house, with noone but Knuckles to keep me company (Yeah, right). I simply lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought at what might have happened to the two hedgehogs, like maybe Sonic was captured by Eggman, or maybe Eggman finally won and Sonic is-

_No! Don't think like that. Sonic can take care of himself. He has for years. He can always bounce back. _I thought. I rolled over in my bed, staring at the empty Shadow plush by my head, right alongside the glowing, pulsing Chaos Emerald...

Glowing, pulsing?

I sat upright in my bed, holding the crimson gem in my hands, staring into it, searching desperately for the red-streaked quills of my immortal friend. My heart stopped. What I saw would haunt my dreams for weeks to come.

Shadow was lying in the grass somewhere, bloody gashes visible all over his black-furred form. A red trickle of blood seeped from his mouth and down his chin. The grass surrounding him was stained red from his wounds. I realized with shock that this horrendous scene was taking place in my own backyard.

Still clutching the Emerald tightly in my hand, I flung open the door and darted downstairs at a speed that would've even surprised Sonic. I threw on my coat and shoes, nearly breaking down the door trying to open it. The cold air hit me as I found myself staring at both hedgehogs, laying wounded upon the blood-stained grass, near death. I pocketed the Emerald quickly as I raced toward the duo. It was the shock of seeing the two that urged me to go on, even though another part of me knew that we weren't alone.

"Well, seems they _have_ had someone to look after them after all. Too bad it hindered their fighting ability beyond recognition," The deep, yet somewhat squeaky voice of Dr. Robotnik rang from behind me as I knelt down beside the two.

"You dare show your face, here?" I growled, turning my face towards Robotnik. The anger boiling within me controlled my words, making them sound darker than I was intending. "What do you mean 'hindered their fighting ability'?"

An evil chuckle. "Of all the fans to find them, a fan_girl_," he positively spat the word as if there were nothing more repulsive than a female liking Sonic games. I stared at the crimson gashes on both of their bodies and knew at once that I was their only line of defense, which wasn't a very reassuring thought. I placed a trembling hand on the side of Shadow's head, receiving a slight twitch, but nothing more. My anger at seeing them like this grew to the point that I felt _alive_, like I never had before. I got to my feet and turned to face my enemy. My hands clenched and unclenched as Eggman continued his rant, sensing that the shock of it all was getting to me.

"I only brought them here for you to watch me kill them, for you to witness them DIE," he laughed maniacally. I wasn't paying attention to him at this point. I knew what Eggman was going to do, and I _had_ to _stop it_! I stood up staring at Baldy McNosehair with a burning hatred showing in my eyes, my coat pocket gleaming with Chaos energy from the red Emerald. Acting purely on impulse, I lifted my hands with palms pointed at the eggmobile. My hands grew hot as energy channeled through my veins and into my fingertips.

"You hurt Sonic! You hurt Shadow!" I cried out as loud as my lungs would allow. "Now, you'll _PAY_!" The energy displaced the pores of my hand and shot through my palms. It tore a hole through the eggmobile, which was sent flying towards the sky.

When Eggman was out of sight, I nearly collapsed on the spot, the cause of my pure anger, nowhere to be seen, and thus, my energy depleted. I used what little energy I had left to carry the two hedgehogs back into the house, using several damp paper-towels to try and clean the blood of their wounds, which took a while. When the trash can was filled to the brim with red paper-towels, I slung them over each shoulder, and brought them back to my room, laying Sonic upon the chair he had laid upon all those days ago, and I laid Shadow upon my bed, where I nuzzled my face against his and fell unconscious.

* * *

><p>I just want to take a moment here to agree with Eggman: There is <em>nothing<em> more repulsive than a teenage girl liking Sonic games, especially if the girl in question happens to like writing all manners of fluff...


End file.
